What Causes Internet Timeout Problems?

Internet traffic has to travel through many servers and across many devices to get to your computer. The data you are requesting could come from across the country or even over the ocean. While you don't have control over most of the traffic path, you can still troubleshoot the devices in your home. If you are experiencing Internet timeout issues on multiple websites, you should start with simple hardware troubleshooting. Often, Internet timeout problems can be resolved in a few minutes without contacting any third-party.

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Restart Hardware

You network hardware is designed to perform the same tasks over and over and occasionally a glitch can stop the hardware from handling its tasks. Restart your broadband modem, and your router if you are using one, by unplugging the power for about 10 seconds, then reconnecting the power. If this does not resolve the issue, restart your computer.

Check Another Browser

If you have multiple Web browsers installed on your computer, try using another to see if you run into the same problems. Since Internet timeout problems tend to be periodic, you should be able to download another before the Internet times out. If not, you can use another computer to download the browser to a USB key, CD or external hard drive and then transfer it to the computer that is timing out. Examples of popular browsers available on multiple operating systems are Firefox, Chrome and Opera. If you find that the problem is only with one browser, you should uninstall and reinstall it. This can often correct any bugs in the software and also ensures that you are using the most up-to-date version.

Update Network Drivers

The network card in your computer uses drivers to interact with the operating system. To update your drivers, click on the "Start" menu, type "device manager" and click on "Device Manager" when it appears in the search results. Click the arrow next to "Network Adapters," right click on your network card and select "Update Driver Software." This will run a wizard to update the drivers your network card is using.

Contact Your ISP

If you've exhausted the troubleshooting steps on your end, the issue might be outside of your control. You should contact your Internet provider and see if there are any outages in the area. If there are not, you can arrange for a service technician to come out and troubleshoot the problem further. In some cases, the hardware leased to you by your provider may have gone bad and the company will replace it. There could also be an issue with the physical connection from the demarcation point in your house to the local network hub in your neighbourhood.